IR's friend Paul Mauriat passed away in Nov 2006

**app_engine** · 20th January 2007, 01:40 AM

While searching for a link to post in the "rearrangement" thread in Current topics forum, I stumbled on this link:

http://cseries.typepad.com/celebrity...ras/index.html

This informs that Paul Mauriat, who is fondly remembered by many who admire IR's music, died on 3rd Nov 2006 at 81.

I recall reading in Kumudam an article / series by IR on his trip to Europe in early 80's (I think it was called 'sangeethakkanavugaL'). In that he mentioned about his meeting with PM whom IR admired for exceptional arrangements. Raja played his `Edho mOgham' of kozhi koovuthu and PM was in love with that piece. IMHO, that song is PMish

Though it aroused curiosity about this french composer then, I never had a chance to listen to any of his music / albums till 1987.
(Well, not exactly. I had been in love with this piece even earlier which was in the "demonstration" cassette of the Panasonic stereo player, though I never knew it was by PM:
http://ludmila1954.mylivepage.ru/fil...ove.mp3#gohere
This is PM's arrangement of Mozart's symphony # 40, 1st movement)

Then when I spotted this cassette "Love is blue" -anniversary collection in a music shop (I think in one of those "official tours" from Palakkad to Bangalore, in a store in commercial street - or was it Brigade road, can't recall now), I was so thrilled and grabbed it. And what a great world of music it opened to me!

From then on I kept grabbing any PM album I could find -more than 10 of them - and was talking about them to all associates / coworkers / relatives etc., with the same passion I had for IR's music during school / college days. Interestingly, some of those cassettes made into the BPL's audio production factory through my friend and some of the tracks were used in the testing lines - creating even more admirers for that kind of music within that community.

I still have a few cassettes somewhere in India and a couple of CD's here in my car. I never get tired of some numbers even after listening to them for 1000's of times. Though I could never learn WCM or an instrument due to lack of time / opportunity so far -may be do it after retirement- these were instrumental in creating a lot of interest and passion for this kind of music. I now listen to "smooth jazz" radio station during my drive to work and back home, which would've been unimaginable otherwise.

It's sad that he is no more. It made me sadder that I could come to know of this only after a few months...creating a sense of guilt as to how unappreciative I am for artists who made our lives richer.

His music will always be with us.

**Google Adsense** · 20th January 2007 01:40 AM

**irir123** · 20th January 2007, 03:18 AM

that is a sad news! my first exposure to western classical music was through PM! I happened to listen to PM's rendition of Bach's 'Toccato and Fugue in D Minor' from his album "Classics in the Air", being played at some remote shop in Sec'bad way back in the 90s and I got hooked immediately - plus, it also helped that through IR, (like several others) I have already been initiated into WCM concepts like harmony, etc - that perhaps drew me to PM's music immediately! this 'toccato' piece as rendered by PM in a rather sweetly minimalist version has been used for the "BOOST is the secret of the my energy - our energy" featuring Kapil Dev, back in the 80s, if oldtimers remember!

many of the interludes of IR's scores, for ex "seerkonduvaa" from 'naan paadum padal" (?) have arrangements very similar to PM's arrangements!

**Shankar** · 22nd January 2007, 11:18 AM

irir123,
Ok sir...I know who you are

...I sent you a PM asking you if you were the same person (your writing style is a give away). never got a reply. Welcome back, in a new avatar, old buddy

app_engine,
Love is blue is the album you had gifted me when we met in bangalore. I have "classics in the Air" as well. This was given to me by another DFer who used to post in the name of "Madhan, Goa" and "tmrrmt", and now in the name of.....

**irir123** · 22nd January 2007, 10:08 PM

Shankar - am sure I must have missed reading the mail - was it a PM through this hub ?? btw, I left a msg at the no u had given me, last time u were at San Jose, since I got a voicemail reply

**irir123** · 22nd January 2007, 10:10 PM

Shankar, I thot I will visit this forum like a "night watchman/ghost-who-walks"! now u have torn away my mask

**irir123** · 22nd January 2007, 10:23 PM

so is app_engine also known as 'Sankaran' or is it 'PS' now based in Chicago, or is it the 'Shree'(once upon a time @hotmail.com) ?

**app_engine** · 23rd January 2007, 01:20 AM

>>so is app_engine also known as 'Sankaran' or is it 'PS' now based in Chicago, or is it the 'Shree'(once upon a time @hotmail.com) ?<<

No.
app_engine is the alias currently used by the person who earlier used the alias eden

(in line with change of place / work) )

**kiru** · 23rd January 2007, 07:04 AM

Hi Guys,
If any of you are in the San Francisco Bay Area or visiting, please let me know. We can get together and listen to a collection of IR songs in my music system. I have 1500 songs of IR, ripped to the harddisk and compressed (without loss) to FLAC format. These are played back using a Wi-Fi device in my living room. I also have around 200 LPs of IR. It could be fun (if my little second son could give us some peace !!)

**natha1729** · 23rd January 2007, 09:35 AM

Hi Kiru, do you have songs from kannitheevu? thanks.

**Shankar** · 23rd January 2007, 11:22 AM

>>>>>>
Shankar, I thot I will visit this forum like a "night watchman/ghost-who-walks"! now u have torn away my mask
<<<<<<

Yow...the ghost who walks shouldn't talk like Mr. Walker, and should talk only like phantom. Sorry to have exposed you irir.

sankaran doesn't visit the forum, I guess, or he too is in a different avatar, who knows